Device for creating a seal between fabrics and/or other materials and methods of making and using the same

ABSTRACT

Provided is a virtually invisible rail closure for use in garments or items having a first rail and a second rail configured to matingly interlock so that the first and second rail are not visible on the exterior facing surface of the rail closure.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/884,559, filed on Jan. 11, 2007, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rail closure device that is capable of creating a seal between fabrics and other materials without exterior visibility of the rails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fastening devices typically include two flexible elongated components having teeth which are forced to interlock and separate by moving a slide along the components. Although such fastening devices have long been used to close and open various articles, such as clothing and bags, such devices suffer from the allowance of liquids and gases within the fastener, and are therefore not useful for conditions in which a wind-proof, gas-tight and/or waterproof article is desirable. While rail type closures may be used to provide protection from the allowance of liquids and gases within the fastener they have been readily visible on the exterior of garments and other items. The present devices provide a virtually invisible closure system using a rail closure wherein only a garment or item material is visible on the exterior of the closure system. The closure system may be made without the need for sewing or stitches thus creating a seamless rail closure design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A material fastening device is disclosed comprising two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail comprises a head with an outward facing portion having a surface which is configured to bond directly onto a desired material. The head may further comprise a material capture means to secure a portion of the material.

A garment having a virtually invisible and seamless rail closure is disclosed comprising two interlocking portions wherein at least one of the interlocking portions is extruded directly onto the garment.

A fabric strip for use in a seamless rail closure is disclosed comprising a rail with interlock means extruded directly onto the fabric strip, so that the interlock means extruded onto the fabric strip is fastenable to a desired mating interlock means.

A material fastening device is disclosed comprising two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail comprises a head portion and a tail portion created by bonding material to the head portion, and a means for capturing a material edge within the at least one rail.

A virtually invisible rail closure is disclosed having a interior and exterior facing surface and comprising a first rail having a head portion, a tail portion created by bonding a material to the head portion, and a material capture means located on the head portion of the first rail to secure a portion of the material; a second rail having a tail portion created by bonding a second material to the second rail and configured to matingly interlock with said first rail so that the first and second rail are not visible on the exterior facing surface of the rail closure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary fastener device interlocking rails of the present invention

FIG. 2 is an exemplary design of an interlocking rail.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of a virtually invisible closure system of the present exhibiting an interlocking rail portion.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of an exemplary rail having no tail.

FIG. 5 is a depiction of a rail having interlock means and two different garment materials joined to the rail.

FIG. 6 is a depiction of a seamless rail integration wherein the tailless rail is attached directly to a garment.

FIG. 7 is a depiction of a seamless rail integration system wherein the tailless rail attaches directly to a garment on one side and attaches to seam tape on the opposing side.

FIG. 8 is a depiction of a seamless rail integration system comprising a material capture means.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the material capture means on the head of a rail.

FIG. 10 shows a depiction of the closure system of the present invention wherein the rail is covered on the exterior facing portion with a material.

FIG. 11 shows a depiction of the closure system of the present invention wherein the rail is hidden from view on the exterior facing portion of an item and is void of stitching.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Rail fasteners may be typically used to create a seal between fabrics and/or other materials. Rail fasteners make up the sealing portion of a closure system and usually involve a slider mechanism to manipulate the profiles of two mating rails together and apart. FIG. 1 depicts a rail fastener having a standard tail 10 section which facilitates installation of the rail fastener into the garment by providing a space adjacent to the head of the fastener for sewing, taping, gluing, or welding. The transition 20 is shown as the portion of the profile that joins the head 30 of the rail 40 to the tail 10. The head 30 of the rail fastener houses the interlock means 60 and is the portion manipulated by a slider and is usually the portion that is visible after installation into a garment or device. As shown in FIG. 2, the interlock means 60 is that portion of the rail 40 which locks and seals the rail fastener to another rail fastener to form the seal of the closure system. The interlock means 60 is typically formed by a tongue and groove type configuration which is preferably located on the head 30 of the rail and which extends the length of the rail, however other suitable configurations may be used to interlock two mating rails. The rail 40 has a longitudinal dimension which extends at least the length of the desired sealing portion of the closure system. The rail in its most basic form has at least a head 30 portion and at least an interlock means 60. In certain embodiments, a slider is used to manipulate the two rail fastener sides or halves apart. The rail halves separate in front of the slider and fully close after they have passed through the slider. The following embodiments describing the closure systems are able to be used with a slider or independent of a slider in accordance with their desired applications.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a seamless rail system functions similar to a typical rail fastener except that the tail 10 portion is created by bonding material to the head 30 of the rail, thus creating a closure on an item, which is void of a stitched seam. A seamless rail system is a material fastening device which comprises at least two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail 40 has a head 30 with an outward facing portion having a surface which is configured to join directly onto a material surface. Bonding a material to the head 30 of the rail 40 can be accomplished in a number of ways, using numerous material types and installation or bonding methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a seamless rail system is able to be manufactured by extrusion or injection molding a rail fastener without a tail section. The seamless rail can then be glued, radio frequency (RF) welded or otherwise bonded directly to a garment material or other suitable items. The entire head of the rail 40 is able to be attached to the garment interior or underside allowing the exterior material of a garment to appear free from rail visibility and in seamless rail applications, also free from stitching, thus making a virtually invisible closure system 100 as viewed from the outside of the garment or other application. This application of a seamless rail also increases the flexibility of the closure system by removing the tail portion of the rail fastener associated with traditional rails, and also alleviates the need for elaborate sewing and seam taping. In the case of a breathable jacket closure, breathability can also be increased due to the size of the closure being reduced, resulting in greater access to the surface of the breathable fabric.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a seamless rail integration where a tapeless or tailless rail is glued or welded directly to the jacket or garment using a portion of the garment to both weld to the seamless rail as well as the opposing material. This application would be suitable for attaching the seamless rail to a garment such as a jacket with a barrier fabric, a waterproof material, a protective fabric, or a fabric comprising a fluoropolymer or similar membranes. The seamless rail does not require the two materials to be bonded together in their entirety. Rather, one piece or portion of material 110 can be used to create the bond between the rail 40 and the garment or application.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, FIGS. 6 and 7 show the use of seam tape 85 to create a secure connection with the head of the rail 40. The seam tape is joined with a material portion 110 to create a secure interface or bond. A seam tape 85 can also be replaced by a small fabric or material portion sufficient to create a bond between the garment material 110 and the rail, leaving the interlock means 60 free from fabric contact.

The exterior or outward facing portion of the rail 40 comprises a head, which may employ a material capture means 90. The material capture means 90 is able to be located on the exterior surface of the head as depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9, or alternatively on a surface of the head 30 such as on the transition 20 area of the head 30, or adjacent to the interlock means 60. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, FIGS. 8 and 9 show the use of a material capture means 90 in the form of a slit in the rail to better integrate the end or edge of a material 110. A material capture means may also be used to integrate the edge of a seam tape when desired. While the material capture means is shown as a slit, it is to be understood that other suitable configurations such as indentations, guides, clips or other similar integration techniques may be substituted. The material capture means may be located at the edge of the rail head in order to provide a virtually invisible closure system, as shown in FIG. 8, thereby providing a closure that is not exposed on the outside of a garment or other item. FIG. 9 depicts a portion of rail head that will be visible when the closure is in a closed position thereby providing a seamless configuration but not a virtually invisible closure system. The fabric or material 110 can be routed into the material capture means 90 and sealed by gluing, welding, or sewing. This material capture means can be on either side of the seamless rail and can play a role in the incorporation of other materials not used for the closure, such as functional fabric strips, or other desirable materials. One example of this would be the incorporation of a reflective strip on the outside of a jacket.

FIGS. 10 and 11 demonstrate the use of rail to hide the closure completely on the front of a jacket, garment or application; hence creating a virtually invisible closure system 100. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the closure is completely hidden from view on the outside of the item (garment, bag, or any other application) and is also void of stitching or material seams. Thus, a cosmetic benefit to the appearance of the garment or article is provided as well as a smaller, more flexible closure system complimented by increased breathability and lower installation costs. Size and weight are also reduced by not only removing the need for a traditional tail portion of the rail fastener, but by removing the need for materials used to sew and tape the closure to the item. Another benefit of the present invention is that it removes the stretch and elongation concerns created by a typical rail fastener and its installation.

In addition to bonding a material 110 to the outside of the rail, it is also possible to extrude or injection mold the rail head directly to a fabric or onto a fabric strip which may be incorporated directly into garments and other goods. Whether extruded, injection molded or otherwise formed for ease of understanding, the method of producing a rail will hereafter be referred to as extruded. In its most basic form such a garment comprises a rail closure having two interlocking portions wherein at least one of the interlocking portions is extruded onto the garment. The extruded rail is able to be joined directly to the garment or onto a fabric strip. The extruded rail may be located on the edge of the garment or onto a functional fabric strip or in another desired location.

The fabric strip may be of a dimension suited to incorporate into the desired applications, in a manner that allows the rail to maintain its integrity throughout production and processing of the garments or goods. When a fabric strip is employed, in a most basic embodiment, the fabric strip comprises a rail 40 having interlock means 60 extruded onto the fabric strip and configured to allow the interlock means 60 to fasten with a mating interlock means. The mating interlock means may be located on an opposing garment edge, on a related or unrelated garment or item, or on a fabric strip. The fabric strip may be a functional fabric having barrier properties or other desirable attributes, a woven material, a non-woven material, textiles, leathers, membrane, or other similar materials used in garments, bags or other items requiring closures.

A garment such as a jacket having a virtually invisible closure system is able to be formed using the present teachings. Such garment comprises at least a material fastening device having two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail 40 comprises a head 30 portion and a tail 10 portion created by bonding the garment material 110 to the head 30 portion, and a material capture means for securing an edge of said material 110 within a portion of the at least one rail 40 to form a virtually invisible rail closure on the exterior of the jacket, thus solving design concerns of the visible rails.

In a certain embodiment, the virtually invisible rail closure comprises a first rail 40 having a head 30 portion, a tail 10 portion created by bonding a material to the head 30 portion, and a material capture means 90 located on the head 30 portion of the first rail 40 to secure an edge of the material; a second rail having a tail 10 portion created by bonding a second material to the second rail and configured to matingly interlock with said first rail 40 so that the first and second rail are not visible on the exterior facing surface of the rail closure. Additionally, the exterior facing surface of the rail closure is able to be void of stitching when using welding, gluing or other stitchless bonding techniques.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a rail on a fabric is provided. The rail may be extruded directly onto a fabric or functional material in a single manufacturing process. For example, a fabric or other material is able to be created with a seamless rail directly integrated onto the material, for sale as one item. Fabric or material can also be extruded or molded into the interior of the rail head similar to the way in which pultrusion integrates fiber into an extruded profile or rail fastener.

A basic method for providing a virtually invisible rail closure comprises the steps of providing a first rail head having a surface configured for bonding and having a material capture means along one edge. The first rail head is placed on a first fabric strip (or garment edge), and then the first fabric strip is affixed to said first rail head, via the surface configured for bonding. The first fabric strip edge is then secured in the material capturing means. A mating rail head is then affixed to second fabric strip or edge and joined to said first rail head to form a virtually invisible rail closure.

For certain applications, a slider used for a seamless rail system will need to interact with the material bonded to the rails. Many materials will aid in the slider's interaction and create an easier slide, but additional materials can be added to the surface to create a better interaction as well as protect the material's surface from abrasion caused by the slider.

These systems can be combined to create numerous rail devices. All of the features described in this document do not limit the scope of this invention, but rather expand rail fastener installation, creation, and manufacturing possibilities. 

1. A material fastening device comprising two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail comprises a head with an outward facing portion having a surface which is configured to bond onto a material.
 2. The material fastening device of claim 1 wherein the outward facing portion further comprises a material capture means.
 3. The material fastening device of claim 2 wherein the material capture means is on the exterior surface of the head.
 4. The material fastening device of claim 3 wherein the material capture means is on the exterior surface of the head.
 5. The material fastening device of claim 3 wherein the material capture means is on an interior facing surface of the head.
 6. The material fastening device of claim 3 wherein the material capture means is on a transition portion of the head.
 7. A material fastening device comprising two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail comprises a material capturing means.
 8. A garment comprising a rail closure having two interlocking portions wherein at least one of the interlocking portions is extruded onto the garment.
 9. A fabric strip comprising a rail with interlock means extruded onto the fabric strip wherein the interlock means is fastenable to a mating interlock means.
 10. The fabric strip of claim 9 wherein the interlock means is extruded onto the edge of the fabric.
 11. A material fastening device comprising two interlocking rails wherein at least one rail comprises a head portion and a tail portion created by bonding material to the head portion, and a material capture means within the at least one rail.
 12. A virtually invisible rail closure having a interior and exterior facing surface and comprising: a first rail having a head portion, a tail portion created by bonding a material to the head portion, and a material capture means located on the head portion of the first rail to secure a portion of the material; a second rail having a tail portion created by bonding a second material to the second rail and configured to matingly interlock with said first rail so that the first and second rail are not visible on the exterior facing surface of the rail closure.
 13. The virtually invisible rail closure of claim 12 wherein the exterior facing surface of the rail closure is void of stitching.
 14. A method for providing a virtually invisible rail closure comprising: a) providing a first rail head having a surface configured for bonding and having a material capture means; b) providing a first fabric strip; c) affixing said first fabric strip to said first rail head on said surface configured for bonding and securing the first fabric strip edge in the material capturing means; d) providing a mating rail head; e) providing a second fabric strip; f) affixing said mating rail head to said second fabric strip; and g) forming the virtually invisible seal between first and second fabric strips by joining said first rail head and said mating rail head. 